Dispensing bulb



l June 15, 1943. L. T. WARD f -2a322-v183 DISPENSING BULB Filed July 15, 1940 INVENT OR. QJae/ZeZW/d BY M ATTORNEY 5 Patented June l5, 1943 Lawrence T. Ward, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner to Knapp-Monarch Company, St. Louis,V Mo., a corporation of Missouri mentation Juny 15, i940, serial No. 345,568

(ci. 22a-.18)

e claims.

My present'invention relates to a dispensing bulb and more particularly to that type wherein carbon dioxide (CO2) is contained at high pressure, such bulbs being known to the trade as Sparklet bulbs.

The primary robject of the invention is to provide a bulb from which liquids such as vitamin B or the like, or other materials, may be dispensed in additionto the CO2 gas itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure from which liquid may be dispensed with the assurance that the liquid will neither remain in the bottom of the bulb and let the gas pass on nor will the liquid be permitted to be discharged first and the gas afterwards, with a nlm of the liquid remaining in the bulb due to clingage of the liquid with respect to the interior surface of the bulb.

More particularly, it is my object to provide means for dispensing a specied quantity of liquid from the interior of a gas lled bulb or capsule by providing a compartment within thebulb sealed at its outer end where the hollow piercing pin of a syphon or the like is to enter for communication with the interior of the compartment, the interior of the capsule or bulb being in communication with the interior of the compartment itself through a check valve opening toward the compartment.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in' the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying z' drawing. Although the invention is susceptible of a variety of embodiments, it is unnecessary to fully describe and illustrate more than one in order to give a full understanding of the invention both from its structural and functional standpoints. Accordingly, I have illustrated a preferred and desirable embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of asyphon with one of my improved Sparklet bulbs shown associated therewith for charging the syphon with carbon dioxide gas and liquid;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view through a closure cap embodying my invention, the cap being for the gas now;

Figure 3 is a similarly enlarged view showing the gas bulb being associated'with a piercing pin of the syphon and the commencement of the transfer of liquid from the compartment in the bulb to the syphon, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of lthe unit shown in Figure 2.

In attempting to introduce any liquids or similar materials into a syphon from a Sparklet bulb, prior to my invention, there have occurred two problems:

(1) If the syphon being charged is held in such position that the discharge end of the Sparklet bulb is uppermost, the liquid'will remain in the bottom of the bulb and the gas will pass into the syphon, the liquid staying in the bulb.

(2) If the syphon is inverted so that the liquid in the bulb collects at the discharge end, some of the liquid will be discharged by the gas under pressure above it but there will be a considerable loss of the liquid due to wall clingage; i. e., a fll'm of liquid will remain on the interior wall of the bulb.

To overcome these dimculties, I have designed a compartment so constructed and located with respect to the bulb itself that this compartment contains the liquid or other material to be introduced along with the CO2 gas from the bulb to the syphon, and the relation of parts are such that expulsion of all the liquid is insured before the gas transfers from the bulb to the syphon.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral I0 to indicate generally a syphon bottle, and the reference character B to indicate a gas bulb for charging the syphon. A syphon of the character illustrated is usually provided with a hollow piercing pin l2 having a point at I3 adapted to accomplish the piercing operation when the bulb is associated with the piercing pin. The syphon I8 has a threaded sleeve it surrounding the piercing pin i2 on which a bulb holder I5 is adapted to be screwed. The holder i5 forces the bulb B toward the piercing pin to accomplish the piercing operation.

In the usual construction of the character i1- lustrated, a cap C is provided having a sleevelike or tubular portion I6, a closed end I'I and an outstanding ange I8. The ange I8 has a plurality of projections I9 adapted to rest on a shoulder 20 of the bulb B and hold the cap C up high enoughto permit the gas to pass under the flange 20 during the charging process at the factory. Thereafter a gasket 2| is placed on -the flange 20 and the upper edge of the bulb peened over, as at 22, to hold the gasket 2l in position and force the flange 20 down to the position shown in Figure 3, with the projections substantially embedded in the relatively soft material of the bulb B.

The particular contribution to the prior art like, is seated in the opening 25 by a relatively light spring 21. The unit consisting of the cap C and the sleeve 23 may be manufactured and Aassimile then nlled with a liquid L as in Figure 2; This unit is then assembled with relation to the'bulb B in the usual manner already described and illustrated in Figure 3. Subsequently, when the bulb B is to be associated with a syphon I; it is placed in the bulb holder I and the holder screwed onto the sleeve I4 with the result that the piercing pin I2 will pierce the wall I1 of the cap C as shown in Figure 3, bending the pierced out portion down as indicated at Ila. The bore of the piercing pin I2 is now in communication with the interior of the compartment A and accordingly the liquid L will be displaced by the gas from the bulb opening the check valve 26 and entering the compartment A, as indicated by the arrows a.

The check valve 26 eliminates the possibility oi the liquid L entering the interior of the bulb B, yet readily permits the pressure of the gas in the bulb to displace the liquid through the piercing pin and into the diaphragm. The gas in owing through the compartment A tends to evaporate any of the liquid remaining therein, thus insuring that all of the liquid will actually leave the bulb and enter the syphon. The tube 23 also serves as a measuring means and it can be substantially lled with liquid, and thus danger oi' overlling the bulb is eliminated.

The use of the tube 23 can be varied for different quantities of liquid to be dispensed from the bulb B as desired. The arrangement is such that it does not in any way interfere with present filling methods for the bulbs, and the additional parts involved are comparatively simple and inexpensive. The construction is obviously such that the contents ofthe tube 23 are certain to be discharged into the syphon, regardless oi the charging position, thus eliminating any possi"- bility of wall clingage or settling to the bottom as where the liquid is merely introduced into the bulb itself.

My invention has been described in the foregoing specification and illustrated in the drawing more or less precisely as to details. It is to be understood, however, that changes may be made in the arrangement and proportions of parts, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What Iclaim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a dispensing bulb, a capsule having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure elementfor said opening, said closure element being adapted to be pierced by a piercing pin, a compartment within said capsule between said closure element and the interior of the capsule for containing material to be dispensed from the capsule through the piercing pin, said compartment being in communication with the piercing pin upon re-v ceiving the pin and having an opening to receive gas from the capsule and force out said material through the piercing pin before the gas from the capsule passes through the compartment and the bill. a check valve in said compartment opening toiyerd the compartment and closing toward the capsule. and a spring to retain said check vsive sed.

3. In combination, a capsule having an openin; in a wall thereof, a closure element for said pening, said closure element being adapted to be., pierced by a piercing pin, a compartment said capsule between said closure element yandi the interior 'of the capsule for containing liquid or the like to be dispensed from the capsule through the piercing pin, said compartment being yin' communication with the puncturing end o! the lpiercing pin upon receiving the pin and having anI opening tn receive gas from the capsule and force' out said liquid through the piercing pin z before'the gas from the capsule passes through the. compartment and the pin, and means to prevent passage of said liquid from said compart- 'nient-to the interior of said capsule and permit passage oi gas into said compartment before such gas, enters the piercing pin.

3.-In a dispensing bulb of the character disclosed; afcapsule having a portion adapted to be pierced by a hollow piercing pin, a compartment 'Within said capsule for containing material to b dispensed from the capsule through the piercilgpin, said compartment being sealed by said portion o! said capsule and thereby communicating,'with the interior of the piercing pin upon the pin being received by the capsule, said compartment having an opening to receive gas from u tl'iefinteiior oi' the capsule and force said mate'rial out through the piercing pin before the gas from' the capsule passes through the pin, and means in said opening to automatically prevent said material from entering said capsule through saidopenirm.

- V4. A dispensing bulb of the character disclosed comprising a bulb member having a neck, a cap 'for said neck having a tubular part with one end closed and an loutstanding ange on the other end thereof adapted to seat in said neck, a tube in the tubularv part or said cap, extending within said '.bulb4 and associated with said cap in liquidltight manner, said tube having an opening in its inner end, a ball seated in said opening and closing toward the interior of the bulb, a spring between the closure member of said cap and said ball, and

means for sealing said iiange relative to the neck of said bulb.

' 5. In a dispensing bulb, a bulb member having an opening, a cap for said opening having a tubular part, a-tube in the tubular part of said cap .an opening in--its inner end, and a ball in said tube, said ball being spring seated in said opening in the inner end thereof.

'L'ln a dispensing bulb structure, a bulb having a closure element adapted to be pierced for forming a discharge opening therein, a compart- .in'entwithin said bulb for containing material to 'be dispensed from said bulb through the discharge opening formed in said closure element, said compartment being in communication with aaaaiss the discharge opening so formed, said compartment having an 'intake opening to receive gas from the bulb, and a check ball in said opening which opens toward the compartment and closes toward the bulb.

8. In combination, a gas containing bulb having an opening through which gas is discharged to the exterior of said bulb, a compartment in said bulb for non-gaseous material and located over (said opening, and check valve means located between said compartment and the remaining part of said bulb to admit gas from the interior of said bulb into said compartment to displace `the non-gaseous material through said opening, the gas then .discharging through said opening and said check valve preventing movement of the non-gaseous material from the compartment into the interior of the bulb.

9. In combination, a gas containing bulb, a compartment for liquid or the like within the bulb, said compartment having an opening through which liquid and gas are discharged from said bulb, and check valve'means in said compartment and opposite said opening to admit gas from the interior of said bulb to said compartment whenever the pressure in the bulb exceeds that beyond the opening, the gas from the bulb expelling the contents of the compartment through said opening and thereafter also passing through the check valve means and compartment and being discharged through said opening, said check valve meanspreventing the escape of liquid or the like from said compartment to said bulb.

LAWRENCE T. 

